The Chicago Bears pulled veteran center Cody Whitehair in the team’s Week 6 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. It appeared the team had benched Whitehair, but head coach Matt Eberflus said after the 19-13 loss that wasn’t the case.
The reason Coach Flus gave for pulling the veteran O-lineman, though, didn’t exactly mesh with what backup quarterback Tyson Bagent said. Chicago saw several players leave the game with injuries yet again, including starting quarterback Justin Fields, who Bagent replaced with 8:07 remaining in the third quarter. When Bagent went in, center Lucas Patrick also replaced Whitehair.
Whitehair had struggled all game with his snaps, and Eberflus was asked if that’s why the center was pulled. He gave a puzzling response. “No. It was just more about settling down and putting the guy that had more experience at center,” Eberflus said.
If Eberflus was saying Patrick was the more experienced center, that’s simply not true. If he was suggesting Bagent and Patrick have had more time playing together, he’s wrong on that count, at least according to Bagent.
Matt Eberflus Explains Why Cody Whitehair Was Benched, Says Experience a Factor
I decided to take a drink for every bad Cody Whitehair snap today. Need to stop – Worried about alcohol poisoning… #Bears
Eberflus’ was asked to clarify his comment about experience being a factor in Whitehair getting benched. Bad snaps were a huge part of Chicago’s offensive issues against Minnesota, so it sure seemed as though performance was a factor in Whitehair taking a seat on the pine. Here’s Ebeflus’ exact response:
“Yeah, so the change at center. Lucas obviously was going through concussion protocol during the week and when Justin went out and we had Tyson in there we thought it was best for our team to have the guy that had more experience in there playing center. That’s that position that we have that Lucas has played for a long time. He has a lot of experience in there. We thought that would settle Bagent down little bit.”
But, as ESPN’s Courtney Cronin pointed out on X, Whitehair has far more experience playing the center position overall. Per PFF’s data, Whitehair has played 3,882 snaps at center, while Patrick has played 1,237 over his career.
Matt Eberflus said the Bears benched Cody Whitehair, not because of his bad snaps, but because they wanted Lucas Patrick- a guy who had more experience at the position- in there to settle down Tyson Bagent.
However, Whitehair has played 62 games at center.
Patrick has played 24
Patrick has played at center a bit more than Whitehair this season, so it’s possible that’s what Eberflus menat.
When he spoke to the media after Eberflus, Bagent was asked if there was a center he took more snaps with during practice, and the Bears quarterback said he was equally comfortable with both.
Tyson Bagent Says He Tries to ‘Mix it Up’ With Cody Whitehair, Lucas Patrick in Practice
Bagent completed 10 of 14 passes for 83 yards and an interception in relief of Fields, also rushing twice for four yards and a touchdown. It was the first NFL appearance for the undrafted former Division II standout, who led a nine-play, 77 yard scoring drive in the fourth quarter.
When he talked to the media after his debut, Bagent was asked if he took more snaps with Patrick than Whitehair, as that would explain what Eberflus said about experience. Bagent said that wasn’t really the case.
“I do a good job mixing it up,” Bagent said. “More times than not I’m taking scout team reps with neither of those guys. But I make sure that — each center kind of snaps it a little different especially under center. In the gun it’s pretty similar. But make sure I mix it up getting under center snaps throughout the week and in pregame with all those guys.”
Fields will likely miss some time due to an injury on the thumb of his throwing hand, so we’ll see if Patrick continues to start with Bagent under center.
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Bears News: Matt Eberflus’ Comments on Cody Whitehair’s Benching Make No Sense